Deshbandhu College Chairperson accused of tampering in college Principal appointment process

An Executive Member of DUTA, Dr. Yogendra Singh Mathur has accused the Chairperson of Deshbandhu College of tampering with the list of shortlisted candidates for the post of principal.

Executive Member of the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA), Dr Yogender Singh Mathur, in a letter written to the Vice Chancellor (VC) has demanded the removal of the Chairman of the Governing Body of Deshbandhu College, University of Delhi. Dr Mathur has also demanded a detailed enquiry into the administrative and financial irregularities that he believes were carried out by consent of the Chairperson which intend to have a structure worth 30 Lakh Rupees be built outside the college canteen.

Alleging gross violations committed in the screening of the applications for the post of Principal, Mathur noted in his letter that the Chairman ignored the screening done by the Screening Committee formed by the Varsity and tampered with the list of shortlisted candidates for the Principal’s post. In the letter, Mathur also alleged that the names of three candidates, namely Dr Ashutosh Kumar, Dr Vinod Kumar Paliwal, and Dr Charanjeet Singh were wrongfully removed from the list of shortlisted candidates.

Dr. Mathur told DU Beat, “The University had released applications for the post of Principal. A Screening Committee was formed to declare the list of eligible candidates. The Committee had finalized 20 names. But out of those 20 names, the Chairman, without the permission of the Screening Committee, removed 3 names. Then he added 2 names from his own side, one being that of Ajay Arora and the other being Dr. Hem Chand Jain.”

Informing the DU Beat correspondent that Ajay Arora was the officiating Principal of the college for 6 years, he further alleged, “The selection committee had earlier deemed Ajay Arora not suitable for the post of Principal. And now, this gentleman has included his name. The reason behind this being, the Chairman belongs to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and so does Ajay Arora.”

Notably, in his letter to the VC, Dr. Mathur had clearly stated 3 demands. One, the Chairman be removed immediately for the violations committed in the screening of candidates. Two, an acting Principal is appointed immediately as recommended by the Governing Body. And three, a comprehensive enquiry be instituted into the complicit acts of the officiating Principal, Dr. Arora and the Chairman.

Significantly, the letter also conveys Dr. Mathur’s distaste for the alleged tampering of applications, as he condemns the Chairman’s involvement in the “corrupt acts” of the officiating Principal. He alleges the retention of Dr. Arora “illegally by not appointing an Acting principal” a tactic guided by “considerations to serve each other’s interests”.

Dr. Mathur made multiple other allegations against Dr. Arora, claiming a relative of his, Mr. Shyam Arora was given all major work advertised on the college website but its payment was made to a firm where Mr. Shyam’s wife worked as a proprietor.

In a phone call conversation, the DU Beat correspondent asked Dewesh Kumar Tiwary, President of Deshbandhu College, whether he knew anything about the Chairman tampering with the list of candidates for the Principal’s post. Answering the same, he remarked, “Sorry. We haven’t been informed about any such tampering. I am only aware that the candidates’ list has been finalized. And now, only the interview is yet to take place.”

On a telephonic conversation in response to being asked about the chairperson being accused of tampering with the list of shortlisted candidates, Dr. Arora told DU Beat that “There are set University guidelines and as per those guidelines, the screening committee is bound to follow those in every college. The chairman alone is not the screening committee; the committee consists of other members also”.

DU Beat attempted to get the contact details of the Chairperson from multiple channels in order to incorporate their viewpoint but was unable to do so. It has reached out to the college on its official email id and will update the story once the email is reverted back to.

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